It is probably not a secret that I am a Proud Process Nerd. I am always in search of the best systems, and how to present and roll them out to your team. When it comes to creating an SOP mindset for your business, it’s not just practice but process that makes perfect. In that same spirit, I have new software to share with you today.
For years, I have used Google Drive as a vehicle to develop, organize, and store processes. I love how easy it is to collaborate and share documents as you work with your team. I still think that Google Drive is a great place to start your SOP journey. (I even created a course to show you how to do just that).
As much as I love Google Drive to develop and organize SOPs, some companies that we have worked with were ready for more accountability with their team than what Google can provide. In addition to documenting SOPs, they needed a more effective way to implement those processes with their teams, provide training, and track how well each team member was doing. The best software fit I’ve found for small businesses to fill the accountability gap is Trainual. I love it so much that I became a Trainual Certified Consultant.
Let’s Talk About Trainual
What It Is
Trainual is a cloud-based playbook that combines word processing, a learning system, and a knowledge base. It allows you to document a process, push new employees through a “course” that teaches them how to do their jobs, and become a reference for your team to review processes.
With Trainual, you can document your SOPs in a variety of ways. In addition to text, it is easy to embed videos, use a built-in screen recorder, or add images to better illustrate each step of your process. Further, you can define larger processes as subjects, and then break those down into smaller, more detailed topics and steps. This makes it easy for your team to find exactly what they need, or to review and improve specific parts of your process.
Rolling out a new process has never been easier. Trainual makes it easy to help your team learn and implement your SOPs with interactive quizzes that guide you through an automated learning sequence. Plus, it’s simple to track who has logged in and how far they have progressed, allowing you to offer help and support to individual team members.
Trainual’s SuperPowers
- Create an ordered list of content for team members to complete
- Include built-in quizzes on content
- Timestamp when all content is viewed by your team and have a dashboard for admins to view team progress
- When content is updated, Trainual will push emails out to the team and notify them of new required content.
- There is an area for communication where your team can discuss questions.
**Find a quick video demo here**
Who Trainual is Best For
Trainual is best for companies that have online or paper manuals that their team is not utilizing.
I still recommend Google Drive for capturing and creating SOPs so that you can collaborate with your team and comment on the documents.
If your company has existing SOPs and you would like more reporting and accountability of the use of these SOPs, I highly recommend Trainual.
Where do I go from here?
- If you are brand new to creating Standard Operating Procedures for your company, then I suggest starting with our SOP Simplified course.
- If you have existing SOPs, then I recommend signing up for a free trial of Trainual (no credit card required!) to see how it flows and could work for you.
- If you are looking for full-service support with SOP creation, and organization, we do that too. Click here to learn more about our Power Process SOP.
Whether you are still in the capturing phase of documenting your SOPs, or you are ready to add more functionality and accountability, Trainual can be one of your most powerful tools for perfecting your processes. Check it out and let me know what you think!
Erin Mathie
OpsElevate